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François Mitterrand

François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 1916 – 8 January 1996) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he was the first left-wing politician to assume the presidency under the Fifth Republic. Reflecting family influences, François Mitterrand started political life on the Catholic nationalist right. He served under the Vichy Regime during its earlier years. Subsequently he joined the Resistance, moved to the left, and held ministerial office several times under the Fourth Republic. François Mitterand opposed de Gaulle's establishment of the Fifth Republic. Although at times a politically isolated figure, François Mitterrand outmanoeuvered rivals to become the left's standard bearer at every presidential election from 1965–88, with the exception of 1969. François Mitterrand was elected President at the 1981 presidential election. He was re-elected in 1988 and remained in office until 1995. François Mitterrand invited the Communist Party into his first government, which was a controversial decision at the time. In the event, the Communists were boxed in as junior partners and, rather than taking advantage, saw their support erode. They left the cabinet in 1984. Early in his first term, François Mitterrand followed a radical left-wing economic agenda, including nationalisation of key firms, but after two years, with the economy in crisis, he reversed course. He pushed a socially liberal agenda with reforms such as the abolition of the death penalty, the 39-hour work week, and the end of a government monopoly in radio and television broadcasting. His foreign and defense policies built on those of his Gaullist predecessors. His partnership with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl advanced European integration via the Maastricht Treaty, but he reluctantly accepted German reunification. During his time in office, he was a strong promoter of culture and implemented a range of costly "Grands Projets". He is the only French President to ever have named a female Prime Minister, Édith Cresson, in 1991. François Mitterrand was twice forced by the loss of a parliamentary majority into "cohabitation governments" with conservative cabinets led, respectively, by Jacques Chirac (1986–1988), and Édouard Balladur (1993–1995). Less than eight months after leaving office, Mitterrand died from the prostate cancer he had successfully concealed for most of his presidency. Beyond making the French left electable, François Mitterrand presided over the rise of the Socialist Party to dominance of the left, and the decline of the once-mighty Communist Party (as a share of the popular vote in the first presidential round, the Communists shrank from a peak of 21.27% in 1969 to 8.66% in 1995, at the end of François Mitterrand's second term). ... Source: Article "François Mitterrand" from Wikipedia in english, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.


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Born:
Oct 26, 1916 In Jarnac, Charente, France
Movie/TV Credits:
21
First Appeared:
In the movie The Society of the Spectacle 1974-05-01
Latest Project:
Movie François Mitterrand & Anne Pingeot: Pieces of a Love Story 2021-05-16
Known For
Poster of Le Brio
Poster of Mr & Mme Adelman
Poster of Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
Poster of The Society of the Spectacle
Filmography
Movie Mitterrand et la télé Self (archive footage) 2021-05-11
Movie 10 mai 1981 : Changer la vie ? Self (archive footage) 2021-05-11
Movie François Mitterrand & Anne Pingeot: Pieces of a Love Story Self (archive footage) 2021-05-16
Movie Congrès de Tours 1920: The Birth of the French Communist Party Self (archive footage) 2020-12-12
Movie Laboratory Greece Self (archive footage) 2019-12-08
Movie 1958: Those Who Said No Self (archive footage) 2018-10-06
Movie De Gaulle, the Last King of France Self (archive footage) 2017-03-27
Movie François Mitterrand : Bâtisseur de mystères François Mitterrand ( Archives ) 2017-04-04
Movie Mr & Mme Adelman Self (archive footage) 2017-03-08
Movie The Incredible Mr. Piccoli Self - Politician (archive footage) 2017-05-28
Movie Le Brio Self (archive footage) 2017-11-22
Movie Laissez-faire Self (archive footage) 2015-01-30
Movie Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles Self - Politician (archive footage) 2014-12-12
Movie Owners of Portugal Self - President of France (archive footage) 2012-04-25
Movie De Gaulle, le géant aux pieds d'argile Self (archive footage) 2012-06-12
Movie L'Amour Fou Self (archive footage) (uncredited) 2010-09-22
Movie Ségo et Sarko sont dans un bateau... Self (archive footage) 2007-04-04
Movie 1974, une partie de campagne Self 2002-02-20
Movie Who Is Bernard Tapie? Self 2001-09-08
Movie Notre Dame de la Croisette Self (archive footage) (uncredited) 1983-02-23
Movie The Society of the Spectacle Self (archive footage) 1974-05-01
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